Between the Lakes

How Mackinac Island became a top Michigan destination

Horse carriages and bikes park down Lakeshore Drive on Mackinac Island on May 26, 2026. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f6f2c08/2147483647/strip/false/crop/3000x3000+0+0/resize/528x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5b%2F38%2Fcc3ea2154b808c4992466ff07a4c%2Flakes-ep-19-image.png]Horse carriages and bikes park down Lakeshore Drive on Mackinac Island on May 26, 2026.(Blace Carpenter / WCMU News) As temperatures warm and tourism shifts into high gear, many are making their plans to visit Michigan's iconic Mackinac Island. One highlight for visitors is the annual Lilac Festival, running through this weekend. Frank Boles is the former director of Central Michigan University's Clark Historical Library and recently published a new book, "Visiting Mackinac: 150 Years of Tourism at Michigan's Fabled Straits." Boles spoke with WCMU's David Nicholas about how Mackinac Island has evolved over the decades and became the destination we know today. Also on the show, the Michigan Court of Appeals overturned convictions in a 2020 plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a judge dismisses a property rights lawsuit against a DNR conservation officer and voters in Saginaw will decide if they want to keep a 47-year hard cap on property taxes. It's the only city in the country with this kind of local tax policy. Like what you hear? Support local journalism by making a gift to WCMU. [https://www.wcmu.org/donate] Want an email version of this podcast? Subscribe to the Between the Lakes newsletter [https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/w3eXjVX/WCMUnow], delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning at 6 a.m. Read stories from WCMU on our website [https://www.wcmu.org/], and while you're there, find out how to listen to your local WCMU radio station. [https://www.wcmu.org/how-to-listen] This podcast is produced in part by the members of NABET Local 412. This episode of Between the Lakes was edited and mixed by Rick Brewer. Our theme music comes from Gabe Schall. Mike Horace is our executive producer.

Detainee says she was sexually assaulted in northern Michigan ICE facility

[https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6cfa8db/2147483647/strip/false/crop/3000x3000+0+0/resize/528x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe2%2F8e%2F65566fe74d628e19039cc25b69a8%2Flakes-ep-18-photo.png](Lurii Gagarin / Adobe Stock) The North Lake Processing Center is the biggest immigration detention center in Michigan and the Midwest. But it can be a lonely, scary place for many people. For months, detainees alleged they’ve faced medical neglect and mistreatment. Now, a former detainee says she was repeatedly sexually assaulted at North Lake and that her attempts to alert administrators there initially went unheeded. And a warning, this story contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault. Also on the show, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says wildfire danger remains "extreme" in parts of northern Michigan going into the weekend, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a new law that could give Mackinac Island full authority over ferry rates and a Chinese electric vehicle battery maker is suing a small mid-Michigan community for tens of millions of dollars in damages over a defunct $2.4 billion plant. Like what you hear? Support local journalism by making a gift to WCMU. [https://www.wcmu.org/donate] Want an email version of this podcast? Subscribe to the Between the Lakes newsletter [https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/w3eXjVX/WCMUnow], delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning at 6 a.m. Read stories from WCMU on our website [https://www.wcmu.org/], and while you're there, find out how to listen to your local WCMU radio station. [https://www.wcmu.org/how-to-listen] This podcast is produced in part by the members of NABET Local 412. This episode of Between the Lakes was edited and mixed by Rick Brewer. Our theme music comes from Gabe Schall. Mike Horace is our executive producer.

Records show northern Michigan clerk changed 6 voter files to 'cancel'

Voting booths stand ready to be used for the third day of early voting on Monday, July 29, 2024, at Central Michigan University's Powers Hall, in Mount Pleasant, Mich. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9422538/2147483647/strip/false/crop/3000x3000+0+0/resize/528x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3e%2F0a%2F994ed3024130a59a386860e6bfb1%2Flakes-ep-17-photo.png]Voting booths stand ready to be used for the third day of early voting on Monday, July 29, 2024, at Central Michigan University's Powers Hall, in Mount Pleasant, Mich.(Ellie Frysztak / WCMU News) WCMU has been following allegations from state officials that the Antrim County clerk in northwest Michigan tampered with voters rolls. Now, reporter Austin Rowlader with the Northern Michigan Journalism Collaborative has confirmed through public records that at least six people have had their voter registration status canceled in the "Qualified Voter Files" by the clerk, Victoria Bishop. WCMU's David Nicholas spoke with Rowlader about the latest developments. Also on the show, homeowners in Cadillac remain displaced following April's historic flooding and a new business and tourism coalition has formed on Mackinac Island just days after lawmakers passed a bill that gives the island full authority over ferry services. Like what you hear? Support local journalism by making a gift to WCMU. [https://www.wcmu.org/donate] Want an email version of this podcast? Subscribe to the Between the Lakes newsletter [https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/w3eXjVX/WCMUnow], delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning at 6 a.m. Read stories from WCMU on our website [https://www.wcmu.org/], and while you're there, find out how to listen to your local WCMU radio station. [https://www.wcmu.org/how-to-listen] This podcast is produced in part by the members of NABET Local 412. This episode of Between the Lakes was edited and mixed by Rick Brewer. Our theme music comes from Gabe Schall. Mike Horace is our executive producer.

Northern Michigan marinas still under water heading into Memorial Day weekend

Flooding covering decks in Tuscora Township on April 28, 2026. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/68fdb64/2147483647/strip/false/crop/3000x3000+0+0/resize/528x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F00%2Fc6%2F421dde3b48cfaf56199acaeeef44%2Flakes-photo-ep-16.png] Flooding covering decks in Tuscora Township on April 28, 2026.(AJ Jones / WCMU News) Memorial Day weekend is big business in northern Michigan, but many people are working through the consequences of last month's historic flooding. WCMU's AJ Jones spoke with local marinas along the Indian River in Cheboygan County to see how they're coping. Also on the show, state regulators have opened public comment for a key water permit for the Line 5 tunnel project in the Straits of Mackinac and Republican-sponsored bills to cut property taxes passed in the Michigan House of Representatives this week. Like what you hear? Support local journalism by making a gift to WCMU. [https://www.wcmu.org/donate] Want an email version of this podcast? Subscribe to the Between the Lakes newsletter [https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/w3eXjVX/WCMUnow], delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning at 6 a.m. Read stories from WCMU on our website [https://www.wcmu.org/], and while you're there, find out how to listen to your local WCMU radio station. [https://www.wcmu.org/how-to-listen] This podcast is produced in part by the members of NABET Local 412. This episode of Between the Lakes was edited and mixed by Rick Brewer. Our theme music comes from Gabe Schall. Mike Horace is our executive producer.

Effort underway to bring state funded mental healthcare to northern Michigan

The Michigan capitol building in Lansing. [https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f60a061/2147483647/strip/false/crop/3000x3000+0+0/resize/528x528!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2Fa7%2Feaac5dee4a3eb407bacff0ced149%2Flakes-photo-ep-15.png]The Michigan capitol building in Lansing.(Rick Brewer / WCMU News) A new state report says Michigan is in a mental health care crisis. Findings show the state ranks 47th in the country for bed availability for mental health patients. It also shows that 100% of children in northern Michigan travel 100 miles or more to receive care. WCMU's Tina Sawyer recently talked with Kate Dahlstrom from the National Alliance on Mental Illness Grand Traverse about how they're trying to convince state lawmakers to support a new mental healthcare campus in the region. Also on the show, officials began assessing homes and businesses around the region this week to build a case for federal disaster relief following several extreme weather events in recent months. Like what you hear? Support local journalism by making a gift to WCMU. [https://www.wcmu.org/donate] Want an email version of this podcast? Subscribe to the Between the Lakes newsletter [https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/w3eXjVX/WCMUnow], delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning at 6 a.m. Read stories from WCMU on our website [https://www.wcmu.org/], and while you're there, find out how to listen to your local WCMU radio station. [https://www.wcmu.org/how-to-listen] This podcast is produced in part by the members of NABET Local 412. This episode of Between the Lakes was edited and mixed by Rick Brewer. Our theme music comes from Gabe Schall. Mike Horace is our executive producer.